January 4, 2008
lilaguide.com
I just came across The Lila Guide tonight, and it is a work in progress far more advanced than my own. The guide has labeled itself as a word of mouth resource for parents, and it looks like it could be a useful resource depending on where you live and what you are after. If you want to read good things about the Ergo Baby Carrier you’ll find them there. If you are looking for something fun to do in San Francisco you’ll find that too. But if you are looking for geographic specific stuff in other places you may or may not find what you need. The good news is that they realize that their databases need filling, and they are currently offering a $5 Target gift certificate to folks who complete 10 reviews. Sucker for free things that I am I have participated in this exercise in data entry, and you’ll find my two cents on the site. My reviews were held up by the fact that many of the places I wanted to review were not in their system yet so I had to recommend them first. Also some of the products took some work to find. So it was a little bit of work, but aren’t all co-operative endeavors?
Update: I had to remind them, but I DID receive that $5 Target giftcard.
December 18, 2007
trixietracker.com
I admit that I never used Trixie Tracker. I couldn’t even manage to keep track of which side my babies had fed on last, let alone when they slept or how often I changed their diapers. But I was just starting to discover that the internet was more than just a tool for finding zip codes, bus schedules, and jobs back then….
The analytical side of me just loves the idea of charting a baby’s sleep patterns. I think it could be a really useful tool for many sleep deprived families and a fun project for folks adjusting to life at home with a babe and wanting to track, quantify and analyze.
November 13, 2007
saras-toy-box.blogspot.com
There are so many folks out there with advice on which toys to buy… Here’s a new blog inspired by all the recent recalls. It highlights some creative toys, including some from one of our new favorite places to shop, A Toy Garden. Enjoy!
November 5, 2007
freecycle.org
According to the website above Freecycle is “a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.”
Your appreciation of freecycle may depend on how active and considerate the group in your area is. My experience has been mostly good. Sometimes people flake and it sucks when that happens, but more importantly…
I have gained many treasures:
- clothes for my kids
- a great dishwasher
- scrap wood for building in the backyard
- rain gutters that we use as ramps for the kids
- and so much more
And I have found homes better than the landfill for many things:
- a broken screen door went to a scrap-booker who will cut it into pieces for framing
- noisy toys that challenged my sanity are driving other parents crazy
- half-used coloring books take up space on someone else’s shelf
- countless other items were picked up from our front yard rather than being carted off to donate
Freecycle groups can generate a lot of email, so it is worth considering creating a separate email account or at least a folder within your email account to keep other messages from getting lost in between all the freecycle offers.
October 27, 2007
Dani’s Duds was the first consignment sale I ever sold at and the second I ever attended. I love hand-me-downs and used items, but had previously written off consignment sales as too much work and too pricey. So this year I sold at Dani’s Duds as much for the experience of selling via consignment as for the money - another momentous mommy experience to add to the memoirs I may never have time to write.
As a seller… Consigning is a lot of work, but if you figure out an efficient system and have the space to save your baby and kid clothes, toys and accessories you can recoup some of your money via consignment sales. There are very specific prep instructions, and it took me a good deal of time to tag all my goods. I felt like a consignment sale addict holed up in my office after the kids went to bed every night the week of the sale. I felt like super mom as I sailed around the Dulles Expo with two kids in tow, a huge wheeled duffel and my sit and stand stroller loaded down with four years of clothes and books putting all my properly tagged items in their places. Then there was a moment when I went back to collect my unsold goods (non of which sold at our garage sale the following week!) while I stepped back and looked at all the parents scurrying around thought “we must all be mad!”
As a buyer… I was blown away by the quantity of items for sale. Things are pretty picked over by the last 2 hours of the sale, but there are still plenty of deals to be had. This is definitely someplace I would shop again.
Tips for success:
- Games are great sellers.
- Smart sellers either decorate their hangers so their unsold goods will be easy to collect or leave their leftovers to be donated to charity.
- Smart buyers sign up for a volunteer shift so they can shop before everyone else.
Overall I am glad I tried the consignment sale thing, and if I forget how much work it was I will definitely try again in the future. Their next sale is scheduled for 5/1-4/2008.
October 14, 2007
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007
Our Kids
If you are looking for a list of places to pick apples, a list of all the pumpkin patches in the area, or a park in a nearby town, this place catalogs them all. It looks like a great regional resource, especially for those who live in the heart of the DC Metro area!
September 23, 2007
LoudounChild.info
I’ll say it again… there are a lot of websites geared towards Loudoun County parents cropping up! My favorite part of LoudunChild.info are the event listings and the childcare listings - I wish the site had been around when I moved to Loudoun County, and wonder if the creator read my mind in providing a resource to help local parents and local businesses connect (which is part of what we here at Active Family Services hope to do as well).
As with the previously reviewed site (www.themomlink.com) LoudounChild.info seems to be driven by ad revenue, but it catalogs a lot of useful info and has a professional look. Its success may depend on how many of us local parents log on and add our two cents to the forums page, but I am hoping that the rest of you wait until after I win the $50 Starbucks gift card!
